Episode 355 - Monsters, Inc.

“Put that thing back where it came from or so help me!” Join Ian, Liam & Megs for our 355th episode as we clock in at Monsters, Incorporated, scream for a living and discover that the real nightmare might simply be trying to get one human child back to bed in Pete Docter’s Monsters, Inc. (2001). Kev isn’t with us this week — he accidentally opened the wrong door and has been trapped in a bedroom somewhere in Scandinavia ever since. This week we discuss: The beauty of the screenplay’s sequencing. So much of Monsters, Inc. works because information, character and payoff arrive at exactly the right moment. That third act. The door vault suddenly turns the movie into something much bigger, faster and more inventive — and gives Pixar one of its best action set-pieces. But Randall’s ending raises questions. If Mike and Sulley can get back from exile, why does being thrown through a door suddenly feel like a permanent sentence for Randall? Bob Peterson before Bob Peterson became Bob Peterson. The film’s story supervisor would also become one of Pixar’s most recognisable voices — including Roz here — so how much of the Pixar family was already forming behind the scenes? Randy Newman and Oscar luck. After years of nominations, Monsters, Inc. finally gave Newman the win — but was this really the song that should have done it? Did Monsters, Inc. get enough credit at the time? It arrived in the middle of Pixar’s early golden run, surrounded by films that became instant cultural landmarks. Has that made this one easier to overlook? And does it still get enough credit now? Is Monsters, Inc. quietly one of Pixar’s best-written films without always being talked about that way? Is it perceived as a “boys’ film”? Monsters, factories, buddy comedy, slapstick — does the packaging make some audiences underestimate how broad and emotionally sophisticated the film actually is? Mike and Sulley. How much does the movie depend on the chemistry between Billy Crystal and John Goodman? Boo. Adorable, terrifying to the monsters, and somehow the centre of the entire film without ever becoming irritating. Randall. Is he one of Pixar’s better villains because he feels less like a grand evil mastermind and more like an ambitious bastard who has decided the rules no longer apply to him? Waternoose. How effectively does the movie hide its real threat in plain sight? The world-building. Screams as energy, doors as portals, workplace bureaucracy — how much does Monsters, Inc. manage to establish without ever slowing down to explain itself? And finally, whether Monsters, Inc. is the Best Film Ever — a hugely entertaining children’s film, one of Pixar’s most elegant screenplays, or a movie that deserves to sit much higher in the studio’s all-time hierarchy. Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE We are very thankful to the following Patreon backers for their generous support: Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM Hermes Auslander James DeGuzman Synthia Shai Bergerfroind Paul Komoroski Duane Smith (Duane Smith!) Andy Dickson Aashrey Chris Pedersen Randal Silva Nate The Great Rev Bruce Richard Ryan Kuketz Dirk Diggler Stew from the Stew World Order podcast NorfolkDomus Timmy Tim Tim Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/. Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/